Jonathan Frakes Has Thoughts about Trek and TV
Jonathan Frakes in one of his many Trek roles. Image: Paramount+
JANUARY 30, 2023 - Not very many actors can speak on Star Trek in film and television as much as Jonathan Frakes. In the franchise he's been on both sides of the camera as an actor and director. He’s acted In ST:TNG, ST:DS9, ST:VOY, ST:ENT, ST:PIC and ST:LD, as both William and Thomas Riker. He’s directed multiple episodes across the different series of the franchise, including the current ones on Paramount+ and two Trek feature films.
His perspective on the future of the franchise is fairly pointed, yet thought provoking. He feels that its future is going to be squarely rooted in television.
The following quote is from an interview with SFX Magazine, according to Cinemablend, where he spoke to the troubles that the current Star Trek 4 is having on even getting into production.
“Movies are tough! Even JJ [Abrams] can't get this fourth movie off the ground. All those wonderful rumors? Noah Hawley was attached to a 'Star Trek' movie, and Quentin was toying with people's emotions about doing a movie. If those two names can't get a movie made, I don't know. TV is the future, it seems to me.”
We have to agree that he’s the hammer, and it would appear that he’s hit the nail on the head.
The TV Trek schedule for 2023 is pretty full of Star Trek. We’ll get the final season of ST:PIC, another season of ST:D, ST:SNW, ST:PROD and ST:LD. There are even new shows in development, yet we continue to hear nothing about a new movie.
He did say that he’d written to J.J. Abrams and expressed a desire to direct Star Trek 4 if it is ever made, yet doesn’t expect to be signing a contract anytime soon.
Jonathan Frakes will once again don the uniform and play his beloved character, William Riker for Season 3 of Picard. He also directed episodes 3 and 4 of the Paramount+ series, so he once again worked with his dear, long-time friends of The Next Generation in that role.
We are officially 17 days away from seeing our beloved crew reunited once again when ST:PIC hits our streaming devices. While the wait seems agonizing, it was about 9 months ago that we were all told that the band was getting back together for the final season.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 premieres on Paramount+ on Thursday, February 16.
Thaddeus Tuffentsamer is an internationally selling author. His books have been sold in the US, the UK, Sweden, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Italy, and France. He has a series of young reader novels, a satirical self-help book, (which, according to reviews, actually has some pretty solid counsel), and has joined the list of professional Sherlock Holmes authors.
He promises that his works will never contain profanity, gratuitous violence, or anything else that would prevent the entire family from enjoying them together.
He spends his days working in healthcare administration and in his evenings, in between plans for becoming “Lord Emperor of everything,” he types away at his keyboard letting his imagination out for the world to read.
He is fortunate to have a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters. He currently lives in Goodyear Arizona with his wife.
